Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SZ-11

On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-P3 versus Olympus SZ-11, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the SZ-11 (14MP) is pretty close but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and SZ-11 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-P3 was released very close to the SZ-11 and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-P3 scores against the SZ-11 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Olympus SZ-11. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Olympus SZ-11 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera often, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 comes with external dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") and a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-11 has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P3 versus Olympus SZ-11 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-P3 and the SZ-11.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and SZ-11 is 86 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizes simply by researching specs. The image here might give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and SZ-11.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-P3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus SZ-11 will render greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures more aggressively.